Digital communication apparatus

Abstract

A highly reliable and high-speed data transmission is made by using an FH or MFSK mode as suitably selected according to the usage of channels. When a reception signal is entered into a receiver through a transmission line, (i) a signal processing unit supplies the spectrum intensity values of carrier frequencies, (ii) a channel detection unit controls the phase of a time slot based on the spectrum intensity values, selects the MFSK or FH modulation mode, and supplies reception code data corresponding to detected carrier frequencies, and (iii) a decoder supplies reception information data based on the reception code data. When transmission information data are entered into a transmitter, (i) a coding unit supplies, according to the selected modulation mode, transmission code data based on the transmission information data, (ii) a channel generation unit supplies, based on the transmission code data, carrier frequencies to be used and (iii) a waveform generation unit supplies a transmission signal to a transmission line.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A digital communication apparatus using either a multilevel frequency shift keying (MFSK) modulation mode or a code multiplexing MFSK modulation mode, using M carrier frequencies per sub-band, M being an integer not less than 4, said digital communication apparatus comprising: a reference oscillator unit which comprises: a plurality of oscillators for generating a plurality of reference oscillating signals of which frequency intervals are set to M×4×Δf or M×2×Δf such that a plurality of sub-bands do not overlap one another, where a period of one time slot is T and a frequency step width Δf equals to 1/T; and   a selector for selecting one of said plurality of oscillators and specifying a frequency of the reference oscillating signal generated by the selected oscillator as a local oscillating frequency fc, according to a frequency hopping of a desired sub-band;     a transmitter for transmitting, per time slot, a result of orthogonal modulation performed on the local oscillating frequency fc so that said M carrier frequencies per sub-band are orthogonally disposed at frequency intervals not less than 2/T; and   a receiver for supplying all received frequencies per time slot, upon receipt of a reception signal, said receiver comprising;   a down-converter unit for converting in frequency the reception signal to a low frequency band so that signal components of the reception signal having frequencies not higher than the local oscillating frequency fc are turned back and are arranged in gaps between frequencies not lower than the local oscillating frequency fc with the orthogonal relationship maintained;   a low-pass filter for taking out signal components for a 1/2 band width of the desired sub-band from an output of the down-converter unit;   a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) operation unit for operating a DFT operation on an output of the low-pass filter; and   a level judgment unit for supplying reception frequency data obtained by judging in level an output of the DFT operation unit.   
     
     
       2. A digital communication apparatus using either a multilevel frequency shift keying (MFSK) modulation mode or a code multiplexing MFSK modulation mode, using M consecutive carrier frequencies randomly selected per predetermined time interval L, M being an integer not less than 4, L being an integral multiple of one period of time slot T, said digital communication apparatus comprising: a reference oscillation unit for generating any of a plurality of reference oscillating signals of which frequency intervals are set in accordance with frequency intervals of a plurality of sub-bands such that the plurality of sub-bands overlap one another, and for specifying a frequency of the generated reference oscillating signal as a local oscillating frequency fc, according to a frequency hopping of a desired sub-band;   a transmitter for transmitting, per time slot, a result of orthogonal modulation performed on the local oscillating frequency fc so that said M carrier frequencies are orthogonally disposed at frequency intervals not less than 2/T; and   a receiver for supplying all received frequencies per time slot, upon receipt of a reception signal, said receiver comprising:   a down converter unit for converting in frequency the reception signal to a low frequency band so that signal components of the reception signal having frequencies not higher than the local oscillating frequency fc are turned back and are arranged in gaps between frequencies not lower than the local oscillating frequency fc with the orthogonal relationship maintained;   a low-pass filter for taking out signal components for a 1/2 band width of the desired sub-band from an output of the down-converter unit;   a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) operation unit for operating a DFT operation on an output of the low-pass filter; and   a level judgment unit for supplying reception frequency data obtained by judging in level an output of the DFT operation unit.